1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink for ink-jet recording which is excellent in freezing resistance and fixability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an ink containing as a coloring agent a water soluble dye dispersed into an aqueous medium has generally been employed as an ink for ink-jet recording. Recently, in view of weather fastness and water resistance, a pigment ink has also been employed in which a pigment is employed in place of a water soluble dye.
In a pigment ink, an aqueous resin emulsion has been employed in order to improve the dispersibility and the fixability of pigment, and in particular to improve the washing fastness when the ink is employed for printing on cloth (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-335986).
However, a conventional ink for ink-jet recording containing an aqueous resin emulsion freezes at −5° C. to −10° C. Thus, when the ink is transported to, for example, cold districts, the ink freezes to cause the emulsion to be destroyed. In this case, even when the ink is brought back to room temperature, the desired ink properties are not recovered.
In order to address the freezing problem, an ink has been proposed in which a specified polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfate is employed as a dispersing agent (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-81372).